


All the Lights Are Shining, So Brightly Everywhere

by hazelNuts



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Christmas, First Meetings, Fluff, M/M, Magical Stiles Stilinski, POV Derek, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-24
Updated: 2017-12-24
Packaged: 2019-02-12 03:53:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,891
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12950736
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hazelNuts/pseuds/hazelNuts
Summary: Derek notices something strange while Christmas shopping, and has to jump into action. The next hour is filled with handholding, bright lights, giant gingerbread men, and the general panic of Christmas getting closer and not having all the presents you wanted to buy.Derek used to hate going to the mall around Christmas, too many smells and sounds floating through the air, everyone’s emotions a dizzying combination of nerves and excitement. It was an assault on his werewolf senses, but he’s learned to appreciate the joint panic of last-minute gift buying as the tenth variation of Jingle Bells you’ve heard that day frays the last of your nerves. It’s comforting somehow.





	All the Lights Are Shining, So Brightly Everywhere

**Author's Note:**

  * For [221B_Marauder](https://archiveofourown.org/users/221B_Marauder/gifts).



> This is my little gift for you [marauder-mischief](http://marauder-mischief.tumblr.com/). I hope you like it, and very happy holidays to you!!
> 
> If you think I forgot any tags, please let me know in the comments.

Derek used to hate going to the mall around Christmas, too many smells and sounds floating through the air, everyone’s emotions a dizzying combination of nerves and excitement. It was an assault on his werewolf senses, but he’s learned to appreciate the joint panic of last-minute gift buying as the tenth variation of Jingle Bells you’ve heard that day frays the last of your nerves. It’s comforting somehow.

He scrolls through the shopping list on his phone. He’s got everything except the fancy coffee beans his mom wants. Weaving his way through the mass of shoppers, he hums along to the music and inhales deeply when he passes the roasted chestnut stand. He should get himself some of those when he’s done. He deserves a treat. When he inhales again, he halts mid-step. Ignoring the man bumping into his back and cursing him, he narrows his eyes and focuses. There’s a scent underneath the smell of food and happy panic: a trace of magic—ozone and trees, like a forest right before a thunderstorm. Store owners who know someone in, or are part of, the supernatural community sometimes use magic to give their displays a couple extra charms, but those barely smell of anything. This magic smells fresh, like someone is using it right now.

Derek pushes his way to the fountain and climbs onto the ledge, earning a glare from a mom who just pulled her kid off there. Honing in on the magic, Derek searches the crowd of shoppers. He’s about to give up and put the smell down to faulty wiring in one of the Christmas displays, when he catches sight of the guy by the entrance of the sporting goods store. He’s surprised no one else has noticed him. The guy’s hands are glowing blue. Using as much of his speed and strength as he can without hurting anyone, Derek pushes back into the crowd, towards the spark.

‘Hey,’ he says.

The guy doesn’t give any indication he’s heard him, he just keeps staring into the store, with wide eyes that are also glowing light blue.

 _Never surprise someone who is wielding magic._ It’s a rule his parents drilled into him, and for good reason, but if this guy doesn’t snap out of his Christmas shopping induced panic soon, someone is going to notice that he’s glowing almost as bright as a fucking Christmas tree.

Derek sets his bags down, and grabs one of the guy’s hands. The magic stings, an electric shock that has his muscles spasming. Crossing the fingers of his other hand and hoping he won’t get blasted to the other side of the mall, he extends his claws, pressing them into the guy’s palm to the point of pain, but not breaking the skin.

‘You need to calm the fuck down,’ he growls into the guy’s ear.

The guy jumps, head swivelling to Derek. For a second the magic wraps itself around Derek, the guy’s eyes glowing even brighter, then he blinks and the blue glow fades to a golden brown. Derek doesn’t look away, and neither does the other guy, his eyes wide and his lips slightly parted. _He_ _’s cute,_ Derek thinks. His eyes flick down to those lips, and he licks his own. When he sees the guy tracking the movement, he suddenly becomes very aware of how close they’re standing, and that he’s basically holding hands with a very cute guy who is also a complete stranger. He retracts his claws and jerks his hand away, stuffing it into his coat pocket.

‘Right… Yeah… That’s… That’s probably a good idea,’ the guy stammers. He drags his hands across his face, takes a deep breath, and throws Derek a lopsided smile. ‘Thanks.’

‘No problem,’ Derek says, a little more gruffly than he intends. He clears his throat. ‘You should probably move away from the sports equipment.’

‘You’re probably right,’ the guy says. ‘But I actually do need to go in there.’

‘And you’re freaking out because you’re afraid of Lycra? I can understand that.’

The guy bursts out laughing. Derek can’t help but smile himself. The edges of panic are fading from the guy’s scent, and his magic has gone quiet again. The mall is safe. Plus, it’s a nice laugh.

‘I forgot to buy something for one of my friends. She’s studying in Paris for a year and I need to get her present now if there’s going to be any hope of it arriving on time,’ the guy sighs. ‘And I have no idea what to get her. And before you suggest ordering something online,’ he continues in a rush. ‘I can’t. There’s other stuff that needs to be sent with the present. And I don’t want to send it in two separate packages in case one gets lost.’ He frowns. ‘Although, if I send them separately there’s a chance of at least one of them arriving. So maybe I _should_ separate them. Oh god.’

Magic starts pouring out of him again and Derek quickly grabs his hands to hide it. There’s no shock this time. This little amount is no more than a pleasant tingle, a brush of a finger over the back of Derek’s hand. He quickly lets go again.

‘Maybe you need to sit down for a minute,’ he suggests. ‘Have some hot cocoa, and a gingerbread cookie.’

‘Right. You’re full of great ideas, aren’t you?’

‘Always am,’ Derek agrees. ‘And if you ever meet my sisters, don’t let them tell you otherwise.’

The guy chuckles, panic retreating again.

Derek picks up his shopping bags, and together they make their way to the food court. The place is packed, not a free table or seat in sight. So when they catch two people getting up, Derek isn’t ashamed to use his speed and looming stature to secure those seats. The spark doesn’t seem to have anything against using his own talents either; a little flash of magic hits another couple heading for those empty seats, making them trip over their own feet. The guy grins mischievously at him when Derek raises his eyebrows.

‘Don’t front, Mister Werewolf Speed,’ the guy says, pointing a finger at him.

‘It’s Derek, actually.’

‘Stiles.’

‘Well, Stiles, which one of us is going to brave the line and get us something to eat and drink?’ Derek folds his arms on the table and catches Stiles’ eyes with his own. He ignores the tingle in his fingers, a phantom left from when they’d held hands earlier, when Stiles doesn’t back down and stares right back.

‘You did save us all from a magical accident earlier,’ Stiles muses.

‘That I did.’

‘That kind of makes you a hero.’

‘Does it?’ Derek likes where this is heading.

‘It does. And, as a hero, you have what it takes to go in there and get what we need,’ Stiles finishes with a grin.

Derek gapes, then huffs. He walked right into that one.

‘Or maybe I’m due my reward,’ he tries.

‘Heroes don’t do it for the reward. That’s mercenaries.’

‘Not even mercenaries would go in there,’ Derek says, nodding at the crowd, pushing and shoving at each other. He looks back to Stiles, who has added a pout to the puppy-eyes. With a sigh, he slides out of his chair.

‘You’re my hero,’ Stiles shouts after him.

Derek barely holds back flipping him off. He’ll save that for when there’s no little kids and harried parents around.

It doesn’t take as long as he expected to get them cocoa, and a couple of gingerbread men as big as his head; when he arrives back at their table, Stiles is only just tugging off his scarf.

‘So, Derek, my hero,’ Stiles begins when Derek has made himself as comfortable as he can. ‘Who are you shopping for this year?’

The conversation flows easy. Stiles does most of the talking, but Derek doesn’t mind. Stiles is funny, a great storyteller, and the cocoa and cookies are delicious. Stiles is also very pretty, sitting and listening to him talk about how he and his best friend decorated their high school lacrosse coach’s office for Christmas their senior year, blinking lights and tinsel and all, isn’t really a hardship. Just as Stiles gets to the big finale, his eyes widen, and he inhales so sharply it brings on a coughing fit. Derek jumps up to help, but Stiles holds up a hand. He thumps his chest, and if Derek didn’t know about Stiles’ magic he would’ve missed the little sliver of pale blue crawling towards Stiles’ throat.

‘You okay?’ Derek asks, sitting down again.

‘Fine, just…’ Stiles clears his throat. His face is bright red and his eyes are watery. ‘I just remembered something.’

‘You finally know what you’re gonna buy your friend?’

‘I wish,’ Stiles snorts. ‘No. It’s, uhm, the first words you said to me.’

Derek raises an eyebrow.

‘ _Hey. Maybe you should calm the fuck down_ ,’ Stiles says. He pulls up the sleeve of his hoodie. The words are written on his forearm in a handwriting very similar to Derek’s. No. Wait. That _is_ his handwriting.

‘Oh,’ Derek breathes, sitting back, eyes flicking between Stiles’ arm and face. In the urgency to stop Stiles from accidentally blowing up the mall filled with humans, he hadn’t realized that those first stammered words Stiles said to him are the exact same as the ones scrawled across his ribs. Then he’d gotten so caught up in Stiles himself, he hadn’t thought about anything but Stiles. ‘Well… I thought I was almost done with my Christmas shopping, but I’m pretty sure it’s bad form to not get your soulmate something,’ he says, unable to keep the smile off his face. And why shouldn’t he smile? He just found his soulmate, and he’s amazing.

‘Oh god,’ Stiles groans, dropping his head on the table. ‘I have to find _another_ present.’

Derek reaches across the table and gently taps Stiles’ hand. ‘How about I tell you exactly what I want?’

Stiles looks up expectantly.

‘For you to calm the fuck down and not reveal us to the normal people, because that would kind of ruin Christmas,’ Derek says seriously.

‘Ha. Ha.’ Stiles glares and throws a piece of his cookie at Derek. Derek easily catches it with his mouth. He grins proudly until Stiles breaks and smiles back at him.

They finish their cocoa and cookies, then gather their things to go back into the fray. Walking next to Stiles feels comfortable, their shoulders and hands occasionally brushing, Stiles’ scent brushing off on Derek’s coat.

‘What are you thinking?’ Derek asks, when they’ve almost made it back to where he found Stiles and Stiles hasn’t said a word the whole way.

‘I was wondering, if I took you on a date, would that be a Christmas present you’d like?’

‘Only if I get my present early,’ Derek says. He slips his hand into Stiles’. It’s still warm from clutching his cup of cocoa.

‘I’ll think about it,’ Stiles says, a laugh in his voice. He stops in front of the store, and takes a deep breath as if to fortify himself. ‘Let’s do this,’ he says, and tugs Derek into the store with him.

Derek goes willingly, smiling at the determined set of Stiles’ jaw. Christmas shopping got even better.

**Author's Note:**

> Come say hi on [tumblr](http://fandom-madnessess.tumblr.com/).


End file.
